Yeah I think you're right. It's also because some of these films have been previously parodied so many times at this point that you get various references without even knowing the original work.

Yeah I'd never seen much of the VICE documentaries, nor had I seen the Spalding Gray film, before I watched their respective episodes. And I fucking died laughing on each one.

I think in order to *fully appreciate* the craft of the show, yeah you definitely need to watch the originals. It's scary how accurately they nail the film stock, tone, audio, color schemes/lighting, etc of the films they homage. (Parody doesn't feel like the right word for what this show does; it's too loving and…

…see above post.

OK, so, I have a confession to make.

THE WRESTLER 2: BRAWLER BAWLER N BASTARD BOOGALOO

Actually he's morphed into Mickey Rourke, apparently.

South Cackalacky here: And I could not be more proud of the Hootie and the Blowfish essay.

I'm always amazed when I see fans of Tool on a site that typically caters to more indie stuff! It's a nice feeling. I'm with you, they seem to have that knack in spades. I'll forever have a soft spot for "Third Eye", which opened the doors for me musically to so much that I love now.

If I'm being honest, that's my number 1, and the rest are in no particular order. I can't praise that track enough. It came out at a time when I really needed to hear it, so it has all sorts of personal resonance with me. I listen to it when I need catharsis and wind up a blubbering mess after 17 minutes.

True story: The first time I ever heard "Stagger Lee"…
…I got an erection, it was so badass. The whole song sounds the same as a massive inflatable machine gunning cock on a theatrical stage looks.

That was…incredibly accurate. Like if Faulkner or Hurston transcribed Van Morrison's lyrics.

And that reminds me: Haven't listened to ASTRAL WEEKS or MOONDANCE in too long, to be rectified now!

Some love to rag on Nick Cave's MURDER BALLADS, but I love it, and that song does it for me too.

Yay for Late Night Solipsistic Boredom! Here're the tracks guaranteed to make my hairs swole:

First, I just want to say: The budding relationship between Mariah and Shades is fucking awesomely twisted. It's also fascinating for a number of reasons, not least of which being that Alfre Woodard is 63 and Theo Rossi is 41. That's quite a rare age difference.

I like to think of myself as something of a connoisseur of snark-filled comments to bots and the Spam Commentariat. Yours is, of course, a great example.

For the infants reading this: This is definitely the last episode of the series that I really enjoyed. The whole execution of the removal of shrapnel from Luke's body was awesome, and a great example of explaining a hero's powers just enough to be fascinating and relevant.

"This series went from great to shit so fast that it defies reason."

I was really digging the show for the first 9-10. Then holy jesus christ does it get BAD. I binged it yesterday/-night. The good in the show, if you're down with it from the start, justifies its existence. But they have got to decrease the episode number for these shows, or at least make them subject to the…